Chapter 57(Part 2): The former Shining group

That was an event from a year ago.

Even if Su Mu Zhe wanted to, he could not forget it.
It was a war seared deep into his memory.

If not for Evran’s appearance, and her bestowing upon him the blood of a Progenitor beforehand, allowing him to inherit a noble bloodline and become her kin, he would have long since become a ghost in someone else’s story.

But he was still alive now.

He would not only be the one to tell the story, but also the writer who would bring this story to its conclusion.

A year ago, upon a battlefield thick with the smoke of gunpowder.

“Captain, the front line is collapsing.”
“The leaders of all six major Bloodkin legions have joined the battle.”
“The main forces are pushing the line back.”
“High command just issued an order for our squad to cover the rear.”

The S-rank Exterminator squad member code-named [Night Wind] reported the frontline situation to their captain, Su Mu Zhe.
Su Mu Zhe, with his sword at his waist, sat on a rugged boulder, gazing from afar at the war-torn front line.

Beside him, the eleven members of the Shanling Squad stood ready, fully equipped.
The air was thick with a grim tension and unease.

They were all waiting for their captain’s command.

“Mhm, I understand.”
“You all retreat first.”
“I want to stay here a little longer.”

Su Mu Zhe’s tone was as calm as still water.
His gaze never shifted, and he didn’t move at all.
He simply said this with such nonchalance that the entire squad was stunned into place.

“Ah~ what the captain means is, ‘All of you, get out of the way, I’ll cover the rear by myself’.”

“Xiao Mu, retreat with everyone.”
“I am enough to hold this place alone.”

The girl called [Xiao Mu] was lying on the same boulder.
She had seen right through Su Mu Zhe’s intentions with a single sentence.
She propped her head in her hands, watching the distant battlefield where explosions continuously sounded, while secretly glancing up at him.

“Hey! Captain! You’re trying to be the hero all by yourself again!”
“Are you trying to hog all the glory?”

“Silly Sweetie, this is an order.”
“I can hold this pass by myself.”

“I-I’ve told you so many times, don’t call me Silly Sweetie!”
“No way, how can you possibly hold off so many enemies by yourself, Captain?”
“I heard that on the other side, there aren’t just Legion Commander-rank, but even Progenitor-rank Bloodkin have come…”

Even for someone as powerful as Captain Shanling, it would surely be difficult to fend off so many noble vampires at once by himself.

The petite girl, nicknamed [Silly Sweetie], quickly scrambled onto the rock.
She even stumbled and fell along the way, but she immediately got back up and ran behind Su Mu Zhe, placing her hands on his shoulders and shaking him gently.

“Let’s go together, Captain.”

“Be careful, don’t fall so often.”
“See, that’s how your chest got so flat from falling all the time.”
“You’re always complaining about how the other girls have such good figures; you should really consider the reasons on your end.”

Suddenly, Su Mu Zhe’s teasing words made Silly Sweetie blush beet red.
She quickly covered her little ears and shook her head vigorously: “I’m not listening, I’m not listening, blah blah blah.”

Her embarrassed state drew a round of laughter from everyone, and the tense atmosphere eased slightly.

Amid the laughter, the young man code-named [Imouto] leaned against the boulder with his arms crossed, speaking like a gentleman: “Let the girls go first.”
“We four men will stay behind and hold the line.”

“Oh? Imouto, don’t you have a little sister at home?”
“You’re always talking about wanting to go back and see her.”
“You should probably retreat with everyone else first, you know?” the girl code-named [Sweet Cone] said, nudging him with her elbow.

She had a very sweet smile, just like her code name, like a delightful sweet cone.

“That code name is so otaku.”
“Hurry back to your otaku home!”
“Don’t stay here, go back and be all lovey-dovey with your sister,” the girl code-named [Alice] teased from the side.

Beside her, the girl code-named [Butterfly] quickly chimed in: “Lovey-dovey?”
“More like ooh-ing and aah-ing, I’m afraid?”

“Wow, Little Butterfly, you’re so lewd~”

The girl code-named [Sunflower] pulled Little Butterfly’s cheek.

Little Butterfly retorted firmly: “Hmph, no I’m not.”
“It’s all the fault of these stinky boys.”
“Every time the four of them get together away from us girls, they’re always talking about pervy topics!”
“I’ve heard them.”

“What, no we don’t!”
“We were seriously discussing how to fight the Bloodkin, okay!”

Imouto immediately retorted, but Little Butterfly, not to be outdone, continued her assault:

“Hmph, you talk and talk and then it turns into, ‘The Bloodkin Queen’s legs are so pale~'”
“‘I’d love to be stepped on by those little feet~'”
“‘That big-sister Bloodkin has such big boobs~'”
“So indecent!”

Night Wind said with wide eyes: “We were talking about a manga!”
“Unfortunately, on a real battlefield, we don’t have the leisure for that.”

Little Butterfly stuck out her tongue, then suddenly noticed [Little Bird], who had been standing to the side in silence the whole time.

“Oh right, Little Bird, what do you think?”
“The Captain says he’s going to stay behind by himself and fight it out with the vampire legion, eh?”

The girl called Little Bird stood with her legs crossed and arms folded, her expression cold.
She was a quiet, beautiful girl who didn’t speak much.
Her gaze only flickered slightly as she answered without a hint of a smile:

“The Captain will die.”
“We must all stay behind together.”